By James Worthington (Hayley’s better half)
Don’t you love it when someone you’ve only just met says, “You should watch this TV show”, or “You need to try this restaurant”, or “You have to use my person, he/she is the best!” Most of the time, when someone tells me to watch a TV show, I’m reluctant. But, if they tell me to try their person, around the time I need a person, I’m all ears. Especially when they have evidence of their work.
What I’m about to tell you is, if you’re considering building or renovating, you should use our guy, Jason. Need evidence? Keep reading…
When we bought our place a year and a half ago, we saw plenty of potential. We spent a bit more just to get into the location, so making it entirely “ours” would have to wait until we found the money to do everything we planned to do. Painting and landscaping were things I knew I could do after a bit of research. However, I knew that I’d end up looking stupid if I pulled out my Ikea claw hammer and started trying to replace the white, wobbly skeleton with no lid, we called our pergola.
I swallowed my pride and contacted “a guy” someone had recommended – Jason from JMP Carpentry and Building. Now, this a risky proposition, when you’re a husband with a deck problem, trying your best to keep your better half interested, then real handymen turn up. But, it was the only way we could provide a safe play space for our kids and make the most of our home over summer.
Jason wasn’t the first builder I called, but I wish he was. It would’ve saved me months in time and plenty of “grillings” from Hayley about when I’d get the backyard in shape for our boys. The first builder I called kept putting it off, before eventually saying we’d need to wait until after winter to start. Even then, I could see he wasn’t going to prioritise our job. The second builder was decent enough to turn up, but couldn’t be bothered submitting the quote within the five days he said it would take to turn around. And I’m still waiting to hear back from him a year later! Both also loosely discussed designs that weren’t in-line with what we wanted. Without saying anything to him, Jason suggested a design and materials along the lines of what we were thinking. Actually, it was better.
We’d recommend “our guy”, Jason, for a number of reasons. But, here are a handful that immediately spring to mind:
:: Jason walks his talk: He turned up when he said he would, began construction when he said he would and handled all council approvals so we wouldn’t have to deal with them. Oh and he was also very patient as we ummed and ahed about materials and colours. Yep, we were those annoying clients.
With Halloween right around the corner, we could’ve been a contender for best dressed home thanks to the giant, white skeleton in our backyard.
:: Their professionalism: Jason and his subbie, Nick, are absolute workhorses! They had strict deadlines to hit and Nick kept the job ticking along nicely after Jason did an ankle, nose and eye in what became his last game of footy. Nick ran this project like he would for his own company.
:: Rain, hail or shine: The boys worked extremely fast and even found ways to keep the job moving forward between serious bouts of rain and hail. When the weather got too much, they didn’t just pack up and head home. They moved into the carport and started painting timber, to save time at the other end.
Hot motivational tip: to lift their spirits in the damp weather, the boys responded well to my barista-spec lattes and “home-made” jam drop cookies!
:: The clean-up: We didn’t have to worry about any kind of rubbish our kids could trip over. Jason organised a skip so that all loose materials were removed quickly. He even made space to coincide with our big spring clean before summer. Legend!
:: Jason gave me a decent hammer: This reason alone would be why I’d recommend JMP Carpentry and Building. I’m that typical guy who dreams of being good with wood. Jason spotted my Ikea hammer and was visibly disgusted. Not that he doesn’t like Ikea, but because he knew I needed something more convincing to look the part as a real home-handyman. He went to his truck and swapped my hammer with a commercial-grade banging device. Pretty sure that’s what they call them on-site?
My first project with the new hammer.
Hayley and I have lived in other parts of Australia and warmer weather isn’t always a blessing. But in Adelaide, the longer days and balmy nights into summer give you the freedom to do more – especially with kids. Thanks to “our guy”, Jason, we have the perfect excuse to turn off the TV, have a barbeque dinner outside and let the kids burn off some energy before bed!
James (Hayley’s husband)
Adelady is all about sharing great ideas and tips, so if you’re looking to renovate or build, it’s worth having a chat to “our guy”, Jason. Follow JMP Carpentry and Building on social…
